BMW with its new i7 doesn’t want to challenge the most powerful electric saloons currently on the market. The current most potent version is the i7 xDrive60, whose two electric motors make 536 bhp, sprints to sixty in 4.5 seconds, although it won’t remain the range-topping performance variant.
The manufacturer will launch an M-badged model, expected to be called i7 M70, which will be considerably quicker thanks to a power output of 660 bhp and a peak torque rating of 737 lb-ft. That will drop the sprint time to under 4 seconds, but it is unlikely that the top speed will be raised from the xDrive60 model’s 149 mph.
New i7: all you need to know
Range will surely drop, as it does in performance versions, especially since BMW is unlikely to change the battery. The i7 is powered by a 107.8 kWh (101.7 kWh usable) pack that pushes the xDrive60 version up to a range of 300 miles - expect that to go down to maybe 280 miles in the M70.
On the outside, BMW could differentiate the M70 with even more aggressive front and rear bumpers than the current M Sport variant. Side skirts might feature a more aggressive design too, and even though BMW will not flare the wings, it could add small plastic flares to cover what we expect to be wider wheels.
Before the i7 M70, BMW will launch another electrified and performance-oriented version, the M760e, which will have 571 bhp and 590 lb-ft of torque. But even once the M70 debuts, it will probably still end up being outpaced by the upcoming XM plug-in hybrid super SUV that is expected to have 750 bhp and as much torque as the top i7.
The current quickest accelerating BMW BEV is the i4 M50, which makes 536 bhp and accelerates to sixty in 3.7 seconds. In some independent tests, it has recorded sub 3.5-second times, and it had no trouble out-accelerating a BMW M3 Competition.
